“I’ve read a lot of reviews about ‘Wii Music,’ and I think
there’s a lot more depth to this program than people have initially given it
credit for,” he says.
“Wii Music” doesn’t ask players to match beats, like “Guitar
Hero” or “Rock Band.” Using the Wii Remote and Nunchuk controller, players can
experiment with more than 60 different virtual instruments ranging from bagpipes
to ukulele. They can play mini-games such as "Handbell Harmony" and "Pitch
Perfect." And they can jam or improvise as part of an ensemble.
That’s the one feature that really hooked Krofchick, who says
that younger kids can often be reluctant to improvise musically.
“Children spend a lot of their classroom time following
specific directions — what to read, what to do — and very little time … actually
expressing themselves in the arts,” she says. “Some can be shy to come forward
and actually sort of jump in and try something.
“But if anything is presented to a child in the form of a
game, it’s going to be much more student-friendly or kid-friendly,” she says.
“For some reason, there doesn’t seem to be a fear there.”
janie reneau on 26 Mar 11This is a report on using the Wii music program for engaging young learners in general music classrooms to learn music theory and have fun.
